1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connecting box for vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to an electrical connecting box which is applicable to various kinds of vehicles requiring the structure of circuits different from each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a proposed electrical connecting box. The electrical connecting box has a box body 101 in which internal circuits are built by bus bars 102, wires 103 and so on. In this view, when applying the electrical connecting box to various types of vehicles having different internal circuits respectively, it has been carried out to design and manufacture a new electrical connecting box for each of vehicles of different kinds, as shown in FIG. 2.
For example, in case of an electrical connecting box for vehicle A, a box body 101A includes a standard (common) circuit and an exclusive circuit for vehicle A integrated with each other, including bus bars and wires.
Similarly, in case of an electrical connecting box for vehicle B, a box body 101B includes the standard circuit and an exclusive circuit for vehicle B integrated with each other. Again, in case of an electrical connecting box for vehicle C, a box body 101C includes the standard circuit and an exclusive circuit for vehicle C integrated with each other.
In this way, since the electrical connecting boxes have to be designed and manufactured for every vehicle of different kinds conventionally, the manufacturing cost for electrical connecting box is apt to increase due to high design fee, molding die of high cost, etc. Further, since a modification in the specification of the electrical connecting box has been met by exchanging the bus bars or changing the wiring route of wires, it is possible to modify the specification with ease. Above all, against great modification in the specification, there may occur an impossibility of coping with such a great modification.
Under the circumstances, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connecting box which is applicable to various kinds of vehicles pliably while avoiding the increasing in its manufacturing cost.
The object of the present invention described above can be accomplished by an electrical connecting box for vehicle, comprising: a common unit with a built-in standard circuit common to plural kinds of vehicles; and an exclusive unit with a built-in exclusive circuit peculiar to a specified kind of vehicle, the exclusive unit including: a plurality of module plates each having a plate body, a plurality of wire accommodating grooves defined by a plurality of partition walls formed on the plate body and a plurality of wire connecting pieces arranged in the wire accommodating grooves on selection in accordance with a predetermined lay-out of a circuit to be established in the module plates, the wire connecting pieces being respectively connected with wires at respective ends thereof or respective intermediate parts of the wires; a plural kind of unit housings formed peculiarly to the specified kind of vehicle respectively, for retaining a stack of module plates; and a plurality of inter-layer wiring members penetrating among respective layers forming the stack of module plates thereby to connect the wire connecting pieces in the module plates with each other, establishing a desired circuit as a whole; wherein the exclusive unit is integrated with the common unit thereby to complete the electrical connecting box peculiar to the specified kind of vehicle.
According to the electrical connecting box of the invention, by altering the positions of the wire connecting pieces on the plate body and the positions of the inter-layer wiring members penetrating a stack of module plates appropriately, it is possible to establish exclusive circuits which are different from each other every kinds of vehicles, whereby a plural kinds of exclusive units having such exclusive circuits can be provided. Accordingly, by further combining the exclusive units with the common units for integration, it is possible to provide the electrical connecting boxes of numerous kinds corresponding to a variety of vehicles. In this case, the change of circuits corresponding to the determined kind of vehicle can be easily met by selecting the arrangements of the wire connecting pieces and the inter-layer wiring members on the common module plates appropriately. Thus, the electrical connecting box of the invention can meet a modification corresponding to the determined kind of vehicle with flexibility and without increasing the manufacturing cost. In conclusion, due to high applicability and high degree of freedom in the structure of circuit, the electrical connecting box of the invention can meet the modification in design with ease.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the common unit of the above electrical connecting box has a housing body and an exclusive-unit mounting part formed besides the housing body to mount the exclusive unit thereon.
In the third aspect of the present invention, each of the inter-layer wiring members is shaped in form of a connecting bar.
In the fourth aspect of the present invention, each of the wire connecting pieces has a bar-connecting part shaped so as to be a rectangular cylinder into which the connecting bar is to be inserted.
In the fifth aspect of the present invention, each of the module plates has a plurality of through holes formed to receive the bar-connecting parts of the wire connecting pieces therein.
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the inter-layer wiring members penetrate the module plates thereby to project from the bottom of the stack of the module plates partially.
In the seventh aspect of the present invention, the exclusive-unit mounting part is provided, on an upper face thereof, with insertion parts for receiving the inter-layer wiring members projecting from the bottom of the exclusive unit.
In the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an electrical connecting system comprising, in combination: a plurality of common units each having a built-in standard circuit common to plural kinds of vehicles; and a plurality of exclusive units having built-in exclusive circuits different from each other corresponding to the plural kinds of vehicles, the exclusive units including: a plurality of module plates each having a plate body, a plurality of wire accommodating grooves defined by a plurality of partition walls formed on the plate body and a plurality of wire connecting pieces arranged in the wire accommodating grooves on selection in accordance with a predetermined lay-out of a circuit to be established in the module plates, the wire connecting pieces being respectively connected with wires at respective ends thereof or respective intermediate parts of the wires; a plurality of unit housings formed peculiarly to the plural kinds of vehicles respectively, for retaining a stack of module plates; and a plurality of inter-layer wiring members penetrating among respective layers forming the stack of module plates thereby to connect the wire connecting pieces in the module plates with each other, establishing a desired circuit as a whole; wherein one or more specified exclusive units are selected from the exclusive units and integrated with the common units thereby to complete the electrical connecting boxes peculiar to the specified kinds of vehicles.